Shopping for a computer bag

To go with my shiny new computer I required a shiny new computer bag and a mouse and I wanted to know what they were like which negated online buying.

First stop Kidderminster town, not for a bag but to check out the newly released Official Playstation Headset; not in Gamestation, not in Game. Oh wait Game were getting them that day in a later delivery - that's useful.

Over to Currys to look at bags, then Staples, Comet, Maplin, finally PC World.

Currys had a load all designed for 15.4" screens (mines 16.4" WXGA) and only a couple of 17" bags, but I had measurements and found a bag that would work and was simple and easy to get in and out of; mouse range was fairly useless. Hmm Resistance 2 at £33 though - tempting.

Staples - again with the 15.4's same type of mouse range.

Comet - as per Currys

Maplin - not much.

PC World - a plethora thereof but nothing I liked and as always nobody to ask questions of.

Back to Currys and grabbed someone to check the price of the one bag which of course wasn't labelled. The reason became obvious when it turned out to be twice the price of the other - £60. Ran away!

Back to Staples and grabbed someone he showed me the 17" neoprene something or other which consisted of basically a sleeve for the laptop and cost £20. I mentioned mice and told him I wanted a bluetooth one that could just connect to the laptop without requiring a USB dongle (not one mouse in any of the stores used the magic word Bluetooth, they were all "Cordless" without any specifics) While he disappeared off I measured up a clamshell 15.4" bag and found that if I ditched the velcroed strip divider for the power supply it would do nicely - sturdier and only £13.

Back came the guy clutching a mouse - the only one he could find with the correct magic word eblazoned upon it - reduced to £15. I took them both.

The case is very nice and the laptop fits into it well. The mouse hooked up first time around; it's missing the USB charging cable (hence the reduction) but it's a standard mini-B so I charged it up using my Playstation. No dongle and its own on/off switch to save power.